To James Casey   25 January 1873

Melbourne bot Garden

25/1/73

Sir

In reply to your communication of the 25th inst.¹ I have the honor to inform you, that the work at my office commences invariably at eight o'clock in the morning, by which time whenever my strength admitted of it, I had for many years already an early walk through such portion of the ground, as might need inspection at the time At eight o'cl. the townwork is arranged with the Clerk of the office and the messenger, who is more then a mere letter-carrier, but who attends to the clearing of consignments of plants or seeds arriving from any part of the globe at any time, and who in the same manner sees to the shipping by sea or dispatch by land to any return sendings. The messenger posts early every day the letters and brings the letters and parcels, which have by post or otherwise arrived at my townadress. He furthermore looks after the timely arrival of stores, material for repairs, forage, Museum or Laboratory material &c &c, and arranges for any other detail-matter of the service, which the exigencies at any time may call forth. The offices of Governments and of Merchants being scattered through various parts of the metropolis, so much time is needed in the transaction of town or port bussiness, that he has often no time for anything else; but if he has time left, it is devoted to Gardenwork or any other departmental occupation most needful at the moment, and in which he is able to render assistance.

The Clerk keeps the books of the Department, aids in the correspondence and gives any time left at his disposal to museum Work, he living in the museum building, being also custodian of the large and unique collections of prepared plants, on which my scientific and specially phytographic work mainly rests, and which I commenced thirty three years (33 years) ago. I receive all the Gardeners the Carters Carpenter² and also the Laboratory operator and Museum Amanuensis every Monday morning early, to lay down for them the work for the commencing week, and to receive their written reports of the work performed in the week past.³ I inspect personally any portion of the ground and buildings any day whenever and wherever it is required; and moreover such portions of the ground particularly in which progressive work is going on. This gives me the moderate physical exercise in the open air, needful for the preservation of my health, my work hours for the Department extending with rare exceptions til late in the night. My own daily engagements must necessarily to a large extent depend on momentary circumstances. They include oral and written answers to numerous enquiries after the uses, names, properties of multitudinous plants either indigenous or foreign. Moreover these questions often involve the chemistry of plants and multifarious industrial purposes, as well as medical geologic, palaeontologic or microscopic explanations. Any new or rare plant, when here first coming into flower and fruit receives the Directors attention, so far as Library and Museum Material in our young Institution admit of study. Whatever time is left me after attending to all my Directorial daily correspondence and routine work, which to enumerate in every detail would be tedious, is devoted to the continuation of the elaboration of the various scientific volumes, on which I am engaged; besides daily new or rare plants, arriving frequently for our Museum, have to be sorted and to be arranged or to be examined for permanent reference.

It cannot be surprising, that I had years, in which the correspondence rose to about 3000 letters. Dr Woolls, F.L.S., of Paramatta stated recently in a public journal, that he alone had received several hundred autographic letters from me within a few years on native plants, he being one of the many amateur contributors to our collections. Three thousand letters a year, including all strictly official correspondence, would after all amount to only about eight letters a day. I am satisfied, that Dr Hooker, C.B., Director of the botanic Garden of Kew, writes many more. Let it be remembered, that the plants of Australia (minute fungi excepted) amount to about fifteen thousand species alone, and that they can only be studied in connection with more than one hundred thousand extra-australian plants, the numerous varieties uncounted. This involves the necessity, while discovery is progressing, to maintain a close communication with the great phytologic masters of the day, and this I have endeavoured to maintain for the honor of the colony and for the benefit of my fellow-colonists and their descendents as far as my humble understanding, my small departmental and private means and my remaining strength allowed it. The results are extant for permanent good in numerous volumes of original research. As an instance of collateral correspondence arising in many ways, I would merely mention, that every geographic traveller for many years past has gratuitously gathered plants gratuitously for our museum and as material for my studies, and that on this account alone communication with explorers must be maintained.

Should still on any special point this reply not afford sufficient information, then I will gladly extend it, when I learn in what direction more explanations are needed, no questions of this kind having ever been adressed to me since the last twenty years, I being thus unable by any precedent to judge, what precise information might be desired in this instance.

I have the honor to be,

Sir, your obedient servant

Ferd. von Mueller, C.M.G.,

Director, botanic Garden.

The honorable the Minister of the Lands Department.⁴